Labcoats and Lycra
by Verdot
Summary: A young Cidney Highwind and his tutor Shera discuss Star Trek and how this has affected Cid's views on women. Set in college, so this is rather pregame.


And because I've been through some college myself, and I'm a Trekkie (The Next Generation! Whoo!) I came up with this. If you know anything about Star Trek: The Next Generation at all, you'll understand the references. If not, then you'll still be able to enjoy the concept. Or be confused. But the best cure for confusion is education, kids.

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"You're not used to talking to women much, are you?"

Shera was not often frank with Cidney Highwind. But they'd just stayed up until three am trying to get him to understand the concept of vector space and she was just a little bit giddy. She kept a tally in her head for the different expletives he used. Nerdy girls did things like that when cute engineering guys needed to pass astrophysics. Of course, it did say something about her situation with him being an undergraduate and her well into her graduate studies.

"What do you mean, woman?" He nearly bit down the 'woman' as he said it. Political correctness was not Cidney's forte.

"You ask odd questions sometimes." That was an understatement. Cidney once asked her if it was inappropriate to ask out a professor. She had said no, but really mostly because Rayleigh was known to be a bit of a rampant... well... Shera didn't use those kinds of words. And she didn't want a repeat of the tie ordeal.

"That's 'cause you women are always theraperizin'. Askin' about damn _ i feelin' /i _ an' shit." She couldn't help but notice the momentarily slip to the gutter in his mind with the word 'feeling'. It usually involved a certain crinkling of his nose. Why she'd bothered to notice was perhaps a sign that she should spend less time tutoring capable undergrads and more time on her research project.

"What women?"

"Like that one on that TV show. Beta-whatsit. Empath an' shit. She's a good example of women."

Shera blinked. Then bit her lip. Then proceeded to chuckle very loudly.

"What the hell are you laughin' at!"

Normally, Shera was never this frank with Cidney Highwind. But enough caffeinated drinks and enough sleep loss made her unusually bold. Besides, she'd never pegged him as one of _ i those /i ._

"Cidney, that's from a science fiction show set in a utopian futuristic world. With spaceships."

"I like the spaceships."

She giggled. She wasn't a frequent watcher of the show, because she simply didn't have time for television. He was likely in high school when the show was big--way to feel her age--but she'd always pegged him as one of the jocks that suddenly realized mechanical things were cooler than footballs. She found the premise of the show to be a little hokey, and a few of the ship designs a little negligent of the laws of physics. But the ship's captain was a charmingly Shakespearan sort of fellow, and she did have a soft spot for the engineering staff.

Still. Learning the womanly tactic of emotional manipulation from a woman with big hair wearing spandex?

"Oh, I bet you were like all the boys with that one." Shera was frustrated that the ship's counselor had to wear such scandalously revealing clothes to become a central figure. The only female figure on the crew that wasn't particularly annoying in that aspect was the Doctor.

Maybe Shera saw a little too much of herself in her, hiding behind her labcoat. She wasn't even out of college and research projects demanded she had one on in the labs; sometimes she forgot to take it off during the normal hours.

"Hey, no hidin' my male impulses there. She was hot." Shera tried not to roll her eyes. Yes, Cidney was certainly a male.

"Still, most women aren't like that. She was some kind of alien psychologist."

Cidney shrugged, steering them cleanly off the subject. She couldn't help but go back to that ideal, that appealing woman that always seemed to take the spotlight. The kind that could toy with the hearts of several of the leading members of her crew and still be the ear to everyone's problems.

Yes, maybe Shera saw a little too much of herself in that doctor.

"Anyway, how the fuck do I vectorize this shit again?"

Of course, the part that Shera was missing was the autographed picture that Cid kept in his desk drawer, usually hidden under technical doodlings. Not of the sexy ship's counselor, but Cid's real favorite; medical labcoat and all.

Things like that don't surface until after mistakes are already made.


End file.
